Kimber Chin

“Uncle Barker, drop me off at Sam’s.”

Was Sam a female friend or a male friend? He should know this. Shouldn’t he? She must have mentioned it. To be safe… “I’m dropping you off at your house.” He pulled onto her street. “That was the deal with Tams.”

“Tams?” Gwynn’s face scrunched up, reflected in the rearview mirror. “Oh, yuck. You mean mom.” Did moms not have first names? Barker glanced at Jenna. She grinned back. “Drop me off first. Please. If I see any more P-D-A today, I’m going to vomit.”

Another glance at Jenna. She was adorably flushed. “No vomiting in the car, princess. It’ll kill the mood for sucking face.”

“Sucking face?” A wrinkled freckled nose, some rapid typing into her phone, and then she groaned. “Uncle Barker, no one says that any more.”

“So eighties.” Jenna laughed. “Oh, boy.” She tapped the dash. “I’m in love with a dinosaur.”

“What?!” That statement stunned him so much, Barker almost drove past his sister’s house. He slammed on the brakes.

Gwynn jerked against her seatbelt but didn’t stop texting. “O-M-G, Uncle Barker. Drive much?”

“Piglet, you have about thirty seconds to get out of the car before you witness some heavy duty P-D-A,” he warned. If Jenna had said what he thought she said…

A horrified look. Gwynn gathered up her bags, hustling up the path. Barker’s sister opened the door, her eyes focused not on her black goth of a daughter but on the front seat. He studied the steering wheel, avoiding that curious stare.  Any encouragement and Tams would come out to the car.  He didn’t want that.  Not at all.

“Jenna.”

“Gwynn is a sweet girl, under all that hostility.” Jenna played with the car window, rolling it up and down, up and down.

“She’s a menace.” Barker didn’t want to talk about his niece either. “Jenna.”

“I was a bit of a menace at that age.” Jenna wouldn’t look at him.

“Jenna.” He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Am I the dinosaur?”

“I don’t know. Would you like to be the dinosaur?” Big, blue eyes peeked up at him through lower lashes.

Could she care for him? Him? “I would like that, yes, very much so.”

A big smile. “Then yes, you’re the dinosaur.”

“Oh, Jenna.” He kissed her. Her lips were soft and warm and welcoming, parting for him. They touched tongues. He – damn it, his phone buzzed. They broke apart. “I better get that.” He looked at the tiny screen and laughed. One simple text. ‘O-M-G’ “Message received. Zero distortion. Jenna, we better take this back to my place before Gwynn sics Edward on us.”

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“O-M-G, Uncle Barker. Get your own fries.” Gwynn looked up from her phone.

“But yours taste so much better, pumpkin.” He winked at Jenna and stole another one.  For all their generational misunderstandings, uncle and niece had a great relationship.  He’d make a good dad, Barker.  A perpetually confused dad but a loving one.

“Uncle Barker!” A wail. “You promised you wouldn’t call me that any more, remember?”

“I remember,” a grumble.  “Why I can’t call you that now when I’ve been calling you that for years, I don’t know.”

He looked so adorably crestfallen, Jenna brushed his shoulder with hers. “You can call ME that if you want.” She winked at Barker.

A slow smile. “I just might,” he whispered into her ear. “Later.” Shivers ricocheted down her spine.

“O-M-G, Uncle Barker. No P-D-A. Yuck.” Gwynn shook her hands.

Barker pulled away as though burned.  “I didn’t know.”  He threw Jenna an apologetic glance.

“It’s okay.  I don’t mind P-D-A.”  She laughed and patted his arm.  And in a few years, judging by the teenagers making out at the next table, Gwynn’s stance on public displays of affection might change also.

“Oh…”  A pause while understanding dawned.  “Ohhhh…”  He grinned wide, hugging her close.

“Uncle Barker!”

“Let me guess.. Vampires don’t snuggle.  Your mom will be happy to hear that, piglet.”

Was that what he was doing? Snuggling with her? Jenna squirmed with happiness.

“Uncle Barker!”  Piglet also not an acceptable endearment for a twelve year old.

“Oh, look, Gwynn. That girl is wearing, gasp,” Barker placed a hand on his chest dramatically, “a color other than black. What would Edward say?”

Since she was the teenager involved in the P-D-A, Jenna guessed she wouldn’t care what Edward thought.

“Ha ha. At least I don’t need help getting a date.”

Barker turned an interesting shade of red.

“Who needs help getting a date?” There had to be a story behind this.

“Uncle Barker,” the girl piped up.

“Quiet, pumpkin.” A dark glance Gwynn’s way. Silence. Then a sigh. “Gwynn didn’t really need more clothes for school. She has a closet full of black shirts and black jeans and whatever she calls those things on her feet.”

“They’re Toe-Tems. Jeez, Uncle Barker, get with the times.”

“So you didn’t need me after all?” Jenna blinked. Why was she here?

“No, no, the exact opposite.”  He covered her hand with his. “You’re the only item at the mall we need.”

“O-M-G, Uncle Barker!” Gwynn covered her ears. “Stop with the corndog lines. You’re scarring me for life.”

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